Research Firm Claims Apple Now Top U.S. Mobile Phone Vendor

Take that, Samsung: Based on its Q4 2012 data, a research firm has crowned Apple as the top mobile phone vendor in the United States for the first time ever -- but its Korean rival isn't far behind.Strategy Analytics announced Friday that Apple is now the number one mobile phone vendor in the United States for the first time ever with a record 34 percent share of the market.

The claim is based on estimates that Apple shipped 17.7 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of 2012, a sharp increase from 12.8 million in the same quarter a year ago, when the iconic handset captured only 25 percent of the market.

Overall, mobile phone shipments in the U.S. grew four percent in 2012, from 50.2 million units in 2011 to 52 million last year. The growth is attributed to the ever-increasing demand for 4G smartphones and 3G feature phones.

Apple may not have long to gloat about the numbers: Former top performer Samsung is still nipping at its heels with 16.8 million units (32.3 percent) shipped in Q4 2012, while LG is a distant third with 4.7 million (nine percent) and all other manufacturers combined made up the remaining 24.6 percent for another 12.8 million units.